Pakistani Prime Minister's Visit to Riyadh and Tehran 'for Mediation'

Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, whose country is an ally of Saudi Arabia, will arrive in Tehran in the coming days for discussions with senior officials of the Islamic Republic. Sharif's trip to Iran is set to take place after his talks with the King of Saudi Arabia, and as reported by the Associated Press, these visits are an effort by Pakistan to mediate in the Tehran-Riyadh crisis. According to an official statement from the Islamabad government, Nawaz Sharif will meet with King Salman of Saudi Arabia on Monday, January 18, and will be a guest of Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Tuesday, January 19. General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, will also accompany the Prime Minister on his trip to Saudi Arabia and Iran. Pakistan, which is a Saudi ally, had previously warned about the consequences of escalating the crisis between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also scheduled to visit the Middle East in the coming days, meeting with both Saudi Arabia and Iran alongside Egypt. Chinese officials have described their President's presence in Tehran and Riyadh as a diplomatic effort by Beijing to resolve the disputes between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Recently, China sent a delegation to both Saudi Arabia and Iran, urging both countries to remain calm regarding the tensions that have arisen between Riyadh and Tehran. Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, also sent its Foreign Minister, Retno Marsudi, to Tehran and Riyadh last week as part of an effort to reduce the crisis in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Disputes between Iran and Saudi Arabia have deepened over the years due to the Syrian war, the situation in Bahrain, and internal affairs in Yemen, with the deaths of hundreds of Iranian pilgrims during this year's Hajj pilgrimage further escalating tensions. However, the crisis in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia intensified following Tehran's protest to Riyadh over the recent execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric opposed to the Sunni Saudi government. Meanwhile, the attack two weeks ago on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the Saudi consulate in Mashhad led to a severing of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Several Arab and Islamic countries have also halted or downgraded their relations with Iran in practical support of Saudi Arabia. In this context, Sudan, Somalia, Bahrain, Djibouti, and last Thursday, the Comoros Islands also severed their relations with Iran. The United Arab Emirates has also strongly criticized Iran. The UAE Foreign Minister tweeted in response to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, stating, 'If your policy is mature and developed, do not attack foreign embassies and consulates and do not harass foreigners.' Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin, the Presidents of the United States and Russia, also discussed the Tehran-Riyadh crisis in a phone conversation last Wednesday. John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, emphasized in a meeting with his Saudi counterpart, Adel al-Jubeir, last Thursday that U.S.-Saudi relations remain strong despite the Tehran-Riyadh crisis. In this context, the Chinese President is traveling to Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The escalation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran will 'reduce' oil prices. China has urged Iran and Saudi Arabia to maintain their calm.